Town · Kingdom of Portugal · as at first light, 1 January 1200

Guimarães

The cradle of the kingdom: Count Henry's castle and the burgo his Frankish settlers built below it.

The royal collegiate church of Santa Maria da Oliveira stands in the town. The infanta Teresa married Alfonso IX here on 15 February 1191.

Who holds it

Name
Sancho I (the crown); the alcaide on 1 January 1200 is not pinned
Title
Royal town under the king's alcaide or tenente
Confidence
medium

Lord in 1200

The crown (the old comital castle); the alcaide on 1 January 1200 is not pinned.

Overlord

Sancho I of Portugal

What the town holds

  • The castle and the burgo

How things stand that morning

Royal town.

Wealth

Crafts and trade of the burgo.

Military

The old castle. No figures.

Fuero

Foral of Count Henry and Countess Teresa, dated 1095-1096 by Rui de Azevedo; confirmed by Afonso Henriques in 1128.

Council

The burgo of merchants and craftsmen below the castle, with its own council under the foral.

Communities

Frankish burgesses settled by Count Henry; the canons of the royal collegiate church of Santa Maria da Oliveira.

Fairs and markets

A market; no chartered fair pinned.

Militia

Burgesses owe service under the foral. No figures.

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: The foral from José Marques's edition; the rest standard.

On the map: Small termo; the surrounding Terra de Guimarães was a tenência not pinned for 1200.

Primary sources for Portugal

Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.

5 more in the sources library for France and Iberia.

Sources and studies

  1. José Marques, the foral of Guimarães (Revista de Guimarães 106, 1996)
  2. Medieval Lands: Portugal, kings (Charles Cawley, FMG)

Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.